Soothsayer

A/N: Hey guys! This is my first fanfic for Miraculous Ladybug so I apologize if anyone is a bit OOC. Anyway, enjoy!

PS - sorry for the inevitable spelling mistakes in here, spellcheck isn't working for me right now.

"You really think you can defeat me, Ladybug?! You're out of your league this time!" The Detonator hurls another glowing explosive toward the superhero as she narrowly dodges out of its way. The hissing red mass clings to the wall of the building behind her, sizzling and popping before erupting in a fiery explosion that crumbles the entire wall it was attached to.

"Come on, where is that Cat?" Ladybug moans under her breath as she swings precariously close to another eruption of fire and flying rocks. Landing lightly atop a nearby restaurant, she hides herself behind a billboard just long enough to check her locator for her partner's beacon. He's closing in.

"Where'd you go, Little Bug?! Are you scared?!"

Carefully, Marinette glances around the corner of her hiding place. The park is burning. Chunks of rock and fallen debris litter the singed grass and civillians are still struggling to escape from the villain's sudden appearence, taking cover behind over turned vehicles and inside stores. She can feel their terrified gazes watching her, along with two dozen phone cameras. She can't stay hidden forever...

Ladybug rises to her feet and plasters on a confident smile. She bobs her yoyo a few times, swallowing when Detonator slowly ambles around to face in her direction, the villain's heavy body shaking the roof under her feet.

For probably the hundredth time during the brief battle, Marinette's eyes trail to the Detonator's baseball mit. Her akuma. She just needs to get close enough to pull it off her hand. As if sensing the hero's eyes, the mit begins to glow a hot crimson, smoke slithering into the air around it.

Ladybug tenses as Detonator reels back, cupping the explosive as if it were a baseball ready to be pitched. Just as she's about to leap out of the way, a flash of black leather and messy blonde hair catches her peripheral vision.

Cat Noir grins with bright white teeth as he drives the butt of his staff into the Detonator's back, knocking her off balance so the explosive sizzles into a harmless pile of hot embers on the ground.

Ladybug smiles and sighs in relief. "The baseball mitt, Cat Noir! That's her akuma!" She shouts down to him.

"I'm on it, My Lady!" He replies with a wink. Seeing Detonator about to rise for another round of fighting, Cat decides not to give her the chance to lob anymore bombs. With a flash of green and bubbling black magic, he slams the palm of his hand onto the ground, his Cataclysm melting the earth around Detonator. Efficiently trapping her waist deep in crumbling rock.

She shrieks in anger and struggles to get free.

Claws out, Cat Noir lunges toward his toppled enemy, bright green eyes zeroed in on the oversized catcher's mit. Grabbing it with one hand, he wastes no time in jumping out of the way of his opponent's furious grasp. Riding his staff like a javeline, he lands beside Ladybug on the roof and passes her the mit with his goofy grin. "For you, Ladybug."

"Well done, Kitty," she chirps, shredding the mit right down the center. With a flash of light, the black akuma flutters into the air. "That's enough trouble making for you, little akuma." The black butterfly disappears into her yoyo and when she opens it again, it flaps away on shiny, white wings. "Buh-bye little butterfly."

Once the damages from their battle have been healed, the civilians rush out into the park to thank their saviors. Phone cameras flashing, two dozen people surround Ladybug and Cat Noir, asking for autographs and interviews. They sign a few odd scraps of paper and smile for the cameras, but just as a boy donning thick framed glasses asks Cat Noir to sign his "lucky chess piece" and calls him 'his hero', both of them hear the sound of Cat's Miraculous beeping frantically.

"Uh, sorry, gotta run!" he says, sprinting off to find a place to transform.

"Where's he going?" asks the boy with the glasses.

Ladybug smiles apologetically. "He has to go before he turns back," she explains, seeing a flicker of understanding...and then a curiously dark look on the boy's face. She's about to ask him if he's alright but then she remembers... "Does anyone have the time?!" she gasps.

Half a dozen voices reply the same answer. 9:45 am.

Crap. She's late. Again.

"Gotta go, everyone! Stay safe!"

"Ohhh, I can't believe this. I'm going to get suspended one of these days..." Marinette groans as she rushes up the stone steps of the high school, haphazardly stuffing notebooks and papers into her backpack as she nudges open the glass doors with her hip.

"It's not like you could help it this time," Tikki reminds her from inside her purse. "You were saving the city!"

"Yeah, but try telling the principal that..." Marinette reaches her classroom door and grabs the handle while still struggling to get her bag to zip. Jiggling it for a moment, she frowns. It's locked. That's when she notices the neon pink paper taped to the door.

"What is it?" Tikki asks quietly.

"It says to go to the gymnasium for class today," Marinette replies.

"I wonder why..."

"I guess we're about to find out."

Even before she opens the heavy gym doors, Marinette hears the sound of combat from the other side. Metal clashing against metal, gasps from civilians on the sidelines... Tensing, she looks down at Tikki, who seems to share her fear.

It couldn't be another akuma already, could it?

She shoves open the door and it slams against the wall, knocking over a metal cart of...fencing swords? Everyone inside the gym goes still and stares with wide eyes at her, posed in the doorway like a superhero but dressed like her clumsy, awkward self.

Her teacher, alongside two student dressed in full fencing garb stand motionless in the center of the gym, the two student midway through strikes against each other.

From the bleachers, Alya moans and shakes her head. She'd been recording the fencing match with her phone, as was just about everyone else. Chloe snickers and saves her video, likely intending on sharing it over the internet to humiliate her.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng!" Marinette flinches at the scolding tone of her teacher's voice. "How many times do I have to tell you that if you're going to be late, at least come in quietly!"

"I-I'm sorry, Miss..." Marinette stammers out.

Ms. Bustier just sighs and tells her to take a seat. Marinette nods silently slinks over to Alya, sinking down beside her and trying her best to go invisible. If only that were one of her powers...

The fencing match resumes without a hitch and Alya turns to her friend with a knowing grin. "Where have you been, girl? You almost missed the greatest news of your young life!"

"I was...held up. What do you mean 'greatest news'?"

Alya chuckles. "Overslept again, huh?" She tuts and then nods her head toward the center of the gym. Marinette frowns and watches the match for a moment, unsure of what Alya wants her to see. The two masked opponents swipe at each other, the taller of the two clearly going easy on the other, even from the short amount of time Marinette has been watching.

"I don't get it..." she mutters. "How is this great?"

"Mr. D'argencourt is going to be out for the rest of the week...so guess who's taking over PE until he gets back..."

As if he's suddenly decided the match has gone on long enough, the taller student easily knocks the sword out of his opponent's hand and it clatters away, rolling halfway across the floor.

"Winner!" Miss Bustier announces, motioning to the victor, who slips the mask off his face and smiles at his classmates. Adrien~~.

Marinette almost chokes as she whips around to stare at Alya. "Are you serious?! Adrien is going to be teaching us fencing?!"

Alya laughs quietly and raises her right hand in a pledge of honesty. "I wouldn't lie to you, girl! And there's more."

"More?!"

"Apparently the school is holding a mini tournament and whoever wins gets to take private lessons with Mr. D'argencourt and Adrien for two weeks..."

Marinette would have screamed if her throat wasn't closing from the rush of her heart. Oh, she can just picture it...her and Adrien for two, whole weeks! It's like a dream... Oh, please don't let this be a dream!

Alya seems to sense her friend's excitement because she puts a calming hand on her shoulder and says, "Calm down, Tiger, you still have to win the tournament."

Marinette deflates for a moment. There are sixteen students in her class. If each of them partner up and beat their opponent every match, that means she'll still have to fight at least four matches... That's not tremendous odds, but then again, she's Ladybug for goodness sake! She can do this!

Her smile returns and Marinette straightens her slouched posture. She's going to win. Even if only because she fights side by side with Cat Noir, who she's noticed has some fencing skills himself. She knows his moves, why couldn't she imitate them?

"I'm gonna win," Marinette says, mostly to herself. But Alya squeezes her hands anyway.

"That's what I like to hear, girlfriend!"

As school is released for the day, Marinette takes her unusually thin stack of homework into account before deciding on an extra patrol before nightfall. She won her first fencing match-quite easily since her opponent was Chloe, who gave up as soon as she found out she had to wear a full body white outfit-and is feeling energetic.

As she hurries into the farthest corner of the school courtyard and waits for the last few students to trickle out of sight, she wonders if Cat Noir will join her on their rounds. Not for the first time, she wonders what her partner does during the day. Is he a school student like her? Does he hang out with friends? She wouldn't be surprised to find out that he had tons of friends to pal around with. He's annoying sometimes, sure, but charming and very friendly.

A thin smile touches her lips at the thought of his goofy smiles and ridiculous, unending list of puns.

Yeah, she'll try calling him on her locator. Maybe he'll already be transformed, who knows.

The last students disappear through the school gates and Marinette releases Tikki from her purse. "Tikki, spots on!"

The cool Paris breeze ruffles Ladybug's hair as she swings from the string of her yoyo between the rungs of the Eiffel Tower. Flipping head over heels, she lands softly on the balls of her feet and perches on a narrow cross section of steel.

The sun has just begun its descent toward the horizon but there's still plenty of daylight left. Still plenty of time for a quick once over of the city before she has to go home and start her school work.

Cat Noir didn't answer, so it's just her for this one. Still, she finds herself waiting in their usual meeting place for an extended moment or two, simply out of habit. When he doesn't arrive, sliding down beside her with that bright smile of his, she shakes off the strange sensation of patrolling alone and swings off toward city hall, a blur of red against the fading golden sky.

It was an eventless patrol. The Paris streets flowed as easily as a stream, civilians strolled down the darkening sidewalks without a care in the world, and there were no explosions, screams of terror, or collapsing buildings in sight! In all, Marinette would say this has been a good day.

A little thrill of excitement flutters in her chest at the thought of tomorrow's fencing match. If she wins this one, she'll be halfway through and one step closer to spending two weeks of private lessons with Adrien! She wonders if it would be considered cheating to ask Cat Noir for tips tonight on their joint patrol...

Speaking of which.

Ladybug lands on the street in a back alley and takes out her yoyo. Snapping open the top, she frowns when her partner's beacon still doesn't appear on the map. He must be having a busy day.

Sighing, she shrugs and snaps the device shut. Marinette is just about to put it away and transform back to normal...when she feels a shudder run down her spine. She stiffens for a moment.

There's someone behind her.

Turning slowly, Ladybug almost misses the figure standing at the narrow opening of her alleyway. Thank God she didn't transform back right in front of him. Whoever he is. With a frown, she clasps her yoyo a little tighter in her hand and decides to just walk away. He's giving her the creeps, sure, but he hasn't done anything threatening yet. No need to start a confrontation.

She doesn't even get to take one step.

"Where's Cat Noir?" he asks in raspy voice that gives her goosebumps.

"What?" she asks, turning back. She heard him, she just doesn't know what to say.

"Where. Is. Cat. Noir."

Ladybug's slight frown turns into a scowl. She isn't sure she likes how threatening his clipped question had sounded. "Who's asking?" she snaps.

The figure doesn't move. His face is dusked in shadows, but when he speaks, Ladybug is almost certain she sees a flash of purple light framing his eyes like a mask. She swallows and looks down at her locator. Still no Cat Noir. "My name...is Soothsayer." he tells her. "Now, your move. Tell me where Cat Noir is, or I'll be forced to steal your Miraculous right here, right now."

Ladybug steadies herself in a fighting stance and glares at the distant figure. "I'm not selling him out," she informs him lightly. "So I guess it's just you and me." She thinks she sees him smile, though she can't be sure.

The steadily darkening sky suddenly feels like a timer. She just has to make it until Cat shows up for their patrol and finds her missing. He'll come looking then. She can make it. Even though this guy is super creepy and obviously an akuma. It won't be long. She can make it.

The photoshoot had taken much longer than anticipated, thanks to a slew of technical issues. It seemed like everything was malfuctioning. From the lights, the cameras, and even the photographer himself (he was having caffein withdraw and was incredibly grouchy). So it's not until almost nightfall that Adrien gets the okay to go home. Or in his case, frantically find a hiding spot behind a bunch of shrubs to transform.

He has to meet his Lady in less than five minutes and the Eiffel Tower is halfway across town. He hopes she doesn't get mad at him for being late. Again. Especially since he can't really explain why he's always running behind on their schedule.

Adrien crouches behind the bushes and Plagg squirms out of his backpack, looking as grumpy and hungry as ever.

"Here," Adrien says, tossing his kwami a lump of cheese. Not camambert, unfortunately, but just something he saved from his school lunch to keep the little cat energized for their patrol. "You gotta eat fast though or I'll be late meeting up with Ladybug."

"You're always late," Plagg grumbles around his mouthful of food.

"It's not exactly my fault," Adrien reminds him. "I've got a lot on my plate right now."

"Mm, speaking of plates, you don't have anymore cheese, do you?"

Adrien glares at Plagg and shakes his head. "You've had enough." Standing up, he holds out his fist. "Plagg, claws out!"

"Agh!" Ladybug lands heavily, flat on her stomach as Soothsayer laughs manically behind her. He's barely moved an inch, and yet Ladybug has been sent flying a dozen times. Her body throbs like one, giant bruise as she unsteadily rises to her feet.

"Come on, Ladybug, I was really hoping you'd put up some kind of fight!"

She huffs and swats her bangs out of her eyes. Where is Cat Noir when she really needs him?! Lunging forward once more, she tries to fake him out with a punch and then zip away on her yoyo to get behind him...but it's like he's in her head. He doesn't fall for the punch and plants a firm kick into her stomach when she whirls around behind him.

Once more, she finds herself laying flat on her back, wheezing slightly.

"Get her Miraculous, Soothsayer!" Hawkmoth growls, causing the violet mask to reappear on the armored akuma's face.

"I'm on it, Hawkmoth."

Ladybug gasps at the hand closing in on her and she rolls out of the way, yelping in surprise when he somehow sees it coming and grabs her ankle. She topples over and he yanks her closer, almost pinning her to the ground with his knee.

"You should have just told me where he was..." Soothsayer hisses. "You might have been allowed to keep your powers for a while longer if you had."

"I would never sell out Cat Noir!" she snaps, struggling under his weight.

"So it would seem. Unfortunately, your time is up, Ladybug..."

Anytime would be good, Cat Noir!

However, it's not her leather clad partner who shows up in the nick of time to save the day. It's...a bicyclist. Who yells in surprise at the sight of them and slams right into Soothsayer's back, knocking him away from Ladybug long enough for her to jump to her feet. She grabs the shocked biker and swings to safety, trying to put as much distance between herself and the powerful akuma as possible.

She deposits the cyclist safely on the ground ten streets away and apologizes about his bike.

"Who was that, Ladybug? Where's Cat Noir?"

Marinette shakes her head. "I don't know."

And to think he was worried Ladybug would be mad at him for being late. He feels like he's been sitting here for half an hour, though it's probably only been a handful of minutes.

Cat Noir sighs and twirls his tail, whistling a tune to pass the time. He's about halfway through the battle music for Super Mecha Strike III when he hears the frenzied beeping of his staff's locator.

"Finally," he mutters, sliding open the panel to reveal Ladybug's lovely, masked face. "Good evening, My Lady," he greets.

"Cat Noir...thank goodness."

Cat raises an eyebrow at her strange show of relief. "Is something the matter, Bug-a-boo?" He's already standing, preparing to head off toward her locator beacon, but the fact that she doesn't scold him for calling her her least favorite nickname knocks him for a loop.

"There's a new akuma," she tells him. "A really, really strong akuma called Soothsayer. I didn't stand a chance against him, and he wasn't even really interested in me. He kept asking about you, he might be looking for you right now. We need to meet up somewhere."

Cat Noir hesitates for a moment. He doesn't think he's ever seen Ladybug so frazzled. Nodding his head, he scrolls through the map until he finds a reasonable place halfway between their two locations. "City Hall?"

"Good idea. See you there."

"See y-"

"And...Cat Noir?"

"Yeah?"

"If you find him, don't try to fight. I have a feeling it's going to take both of us to handle this one..."

Adrien offers a smile to his obviously distressed partner. "Very well, M'lady. See you soon."

It takes only moments to reach City Hall for both heroes and they land almost at the exact same time on the white shingled roof. Ladybug hits the roof gracefully, rolls and then rises to her feet. Cat Noir slides down his staff, and as it flips through the air, reverting to its true, small size, he kneels onto one knee and presses a light kiss to the back of Ladybug's hand.

"So, what's the plan?" he asks, standing up again.

"I'm not sure," Ladybug admits. "I've been thinking about it and...I think Soothsayer's power might be mind reading or something like that. He didn't seem to use any kind of magic. He was just always one step ahead."

Cat Noir purses his lips. "Well, between your experiencing fighting him and my cat-like reflexes, the both of us together will surely be enough to beat him!"

Marinette chuckles at his enthusiasm and nods her head. "You're right. We just have to face him together. We're a team, after all."

Cat Noir smiles and holds out his fist. Ladybug bumps her knuckles against his and together, they leap off the top of City Hall in search for the mysterious akuma.

Three and a half hours later, the sun has finally set and still no sign of Soothsayer. Frost has settled on the rooftops so the two heroes can only move so quickly without sliding, especially considering how hard they're shivering.

"I h-hate winter." Cat Noir mumbles with chattering teeth. His arms are wrapped around himself in a vain attempt at keeping warm as they sit atop the Eiffel Tower, scanning the dark streets below.

"It's barely autumn." Ladybug reminds him dully, although she too is shuddering.

"Doesn't matter. I still hate winter." He sniffles and pulls his knees up to his chest. The two sit in miserable, icy silence for a few more minutes before a little grin curls across Cat's face. Inching sideways a bit, he leans over and says in his most seductive voice, "You know, My Lady, it's quite possible to develop hypothermia in temperatures like this...and as I'm sure you know, the best way to combat hypothermia is-"

"Only in your dreams, Pussy Cat," she interrupts with a roll of her eyes. Although what she wouldn't give for a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate right about now.

He sighs and shrugs a shoulder half heartedly. "It was just a friendly suggestion."

"Uh huh." Ladybug stretches out of her stiff limbs and stands up. "I don't see any sign of him reappearing today...maybe we should just call it a night."

"You might be right. He doesn't seem too interested in causing havoc among civilians, so it might be safe to just head home and try again tomorrow." Cat Noir stands but neither of them try to leave.

A soft wind blows through the beams of the tower, carrying a damp chill that promises an early winter. Ladybug muses distantly that if it started to rain right now, it might actually turn to snow.

"It's strange," she mutters, feeling Cat Noir's gaze turn on her as she stares out across the lovely, lamp-lit streets and shimmering rivers. "We've never left an akuma to their own devices overnight..."

"Yeah," Cat agrees softly. "Think you'll be able to sleep?"

"No," she replies honestly.

"Yeah, me neither."

Neither of them voice their next thoughts but both are thinking about their activities for the next day. Grades, friends, the tournament... This wouldn't be the first time they'd trudged to school on little sleep, but no sleep is an entirely other story.

Marinette can just picture dozing off in class and getting detention, or Chloe snapping a photo of her drool-lined face and posting it on the class website, or Adrien thinking her a mess...

"Well it won't do either of us any good to be sick with a cold or functioning without sleep tomorrow when we do have to fight him. So let's at least try to get some rest." Ladybug flexes her stiff fingers and turns to Cat Noir, who nods, although obviously is still reluctant.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, My Lady. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." As Cat Noir pulls out his staff and prepares to vault away, Ladybug stops him one last time. "Cat Noir? Um, I know we don't usually do this...and call me a worry-wart but this akuma was pretty interested in finding you so...when you get close to home...give me a beep, would you? Just so I know."

She gets the feeling that if his nose wasn't running and he wasn't just as anxious about this whole situation as she was, that he might have spewed his usual flirts, maybe kissed her hand again, or called her His Love. But instead, Cat Noir simply winks, tells her he will, and vaults away, disappearing into the darkness.

And despite how cold she is, Ladybug hesitates for a moment, staring at the spot where her partner disappeared from, trying to shake the strange sense of familiarity. She knows her partner well and she's seen many sides of him. But that Cat Noir-the casual, easy-going Cat Noir who winks and doesn't go overboard-she hasn't seen before.

A smile somewhere between uneasy and oddly thrilled touches her lips as she turns and swings off toward home. She gets the feeling that maybe she's just seen her first glimpse of the other Cat Noir, the one that exists only during the daytime. Whoever that may be.

Adrien lands on the roof of the boutique three streets away from his home and drops onto the sidewalk beneath. The lights of his father's mansion are still on, meaning Natalie has decided to wait up until he gets home. He feels a pang of guilt in his heart for making her wait so long.

Sliding open the panel at the top of his staff, Adrien leans against the wall of the storefront and waits for Ladybug to pick up so he can set her mind at ease. He smiles at her when she answers and that warm feeling blossoms in his chest again when he remembers how concerned she'd been for him.

"As promised, M'lady," he says.

"Thanks, Cat Noir. I-"

"Finally found you." As the hand closes around Cat Noir's forearm and his staff is knocked from his hand, he hears Ladybug shouting his name. Adrien is roughly spun around and he finds himself staring into the cold, calculating eyes of the akuma, who smiles darkly at him. "Caught you, Kitty Cat." A swift strike to his ribs by the hilt of a sword knocks Adrien to his knees and a kick to his chest lands him the rest of the way on the ground.

Soothsayer towers over him, the light of the street lamps gleaming brightly off his steel armor, and the point of his sword hovers at Cat Noir's chest.

"Cat Noir?! Hello?!" Ladybug's voice shouts from his staff.

"She won't reach you in time," Soothsayer tells him in a low, threatening voice.

"What do you want?" Adrien demands, laying perfectly still under the blade.

"She's your hero," Soothsayer remarks. "I want her to fail you...like you failed me."

Marinette's heart is hammering. She's never moved so fast in her entire life, the buildings pass by in a blur of grey as she switches from sprinting head long across rooftops and swinging by her yoyo. Cat Noir's beacon reads not too far from the school. She should be there within minutes.

Please let her get there soon enough.

This isn't going to end well. Adrien can tell just by the look in Soothsayer's eyes. He doesn't have a clue as to what he did to infuriate him this much, and frankly, he doesn't care to know right now. He just has to get out of this before Ladybug shows up.

The last thing they need is for Soothsayer to use him as a bargaining chip against his Lady. Which is surely his plan by now. The whole 'give me your Miraculous and I won't kill your friend' schtick. Been there, done that, not looking to do it again.

So Cat Noir decides the time for playing possum is over. With all the strength in his body, he rears up his legs, hoping to knock Soothsayer away...but his captor nimbly steps aside, avoiding the attack all together...

He grins and twirls his sword. Cat Noir thinks he hears him say "it's about time" under his breath, but he can't be sure. Doesn't matter anyway. He's free.

Flipping head over heels, he lands on his feet and springs sideways for his staff. He reaches it and as it expands, Cat whips around, expecting to be face to face with his furious opponent...

But Soothsayer hasn't moved an inch.

He's just...watching.

Creepy.

Time to give him a taste of who he's dealing with! Cat Noir raises a clawed hand into the air and ignores the savage smile on Soothsayer's face when he shouts, "Cataclysm!" With a burst of green light, he rushes the akuma.

Soothsayer doesn't dodge out of the way. He doesn't move when Cat Noir leaps into the air and sails down toward him with his claws bubbling in black energy.

And yet, somehow, Adrien still ends up with a sword hilt smashing into his gut, a swift punch to the jaw, and laying flat on his back again, seeing stars from the pain. The only difference now is...his Cataclysm is summoned...and Soothsayer is holding his wrist down, staring at the hero's magic as if it were all the holidays wrapped up together in one shiny package.

"It would appear I've got in you Check, Cat Noir," he hisses, twisting Adrien's arm around so his own palm slams into leather-clad stomach.

Ladybug's locator beeps furiously as she comes to a stop on the roof of a boutique. This is the place. Cat Noir is around here somewhere. Or at least his staff is.

Opting for the stealthy approach, she doesn't immediately call out her partner's name, although she wants to. Instead, she crouches down and silently pads across the slippery shingles, searching the darkened streets for Cat Noir, the akuma, or anything to show that her locator's angry chimes are correct.

Just seconds later, she finds them. Cat Noir is sprawled out on his back under the golden glow of a street light. Perfect bait for an ambush, except that Soothsayer is kneeling overtop of him, one hand supporting Cat's limp arm...the other about to pull off his Miraculous!

No, no!

With a jerk of her arm, Ladybug's yoyo flies through the air and...hits! The akuma visibly jumps and stares in shocked awe at the string twisted around his arm. Marinette yanks as hard as she can and revels in the sight of Soothsayer soaring through the night sky and landing violently on the ground several hundred feet away.

So not a mind reader, then, huh?

"Cat Noir!" she cries out, leaping down from the roof and sprinting to her partner's side. He doesn't respond. His eyes are half lidded but open and staring blankly into space behind her. "Cat Noir? Come on, snap out of it!" she urges, shaking his shoulders as she glances over her own. When she looks back, the glazed look on his face has cleared slightly.

"Ladybug...?"

She smiles and nods her head. "Yes, it's me. Are you okay?"

His body shakes slightly in silent laughter. "Worried for me, My Lady...?" he asks with his usual bravado. And yet he still doesn't try to move.

"Focus," she chides him. "Where are you hurt?"

"Mostly my pride," he replies sheepishly "but...also everything else. I always wondered what would happen if I used my Cataclysm on a person...I guess I know now..."

Hearing that, Marinette is chilled to the core. "What was that?!"

Cat Noir grins tiredly. "You were right, Bug-a-boo. This akuma's some kind of telepath or something, he knew I was going to use my power and then turned it against me." As if on que, his Miraculous beeps and one pad of the paw insignia fades away.

Ladybug looks over her shoulder again. No akuma yet, he must still be recovering. "Come on," she says, slipping under Cat Noir's arm to help him up. "Let's get you out of here before you lose your transformation."

"There's not much time," he tells her as another pad vanishes, much quicker than usual. He can feel the power ebbing out of his limbs as Ladybug drags him to his feet.

"We'll find a place," she assures him and they limp off toward an alleyway dotted with doors.

Soothsayers grunts as he gets to his feet, scowling when he finds his sword laying several feet away and his black cape all twisted and streaked with mud from the frosty streets.

"What what was that, Hawkmoth?! Why didn't I see Ladybug coming?!"

"That was your own fault," Hawkmoth growls in the akuma's head. "Too distracted by your own vendeta to remember your true mission: to capture their Miraculouses! Do it right this time, or I'll be forced to take back your powers!"

Soothsayer glares at the night sky. Picking up his sword, he wipes it clean of mud and frost and slides it into its sheath. "Very well. As promised, their Miraculouses will be yours."

"Lucky Charm!" A flash of pink light showers down over the heroes as something heavy and made of metal lands in Ladybug's hands. She smiles down at the polka-dotted surface of the crowbar and sighs in relief. "Finally something I know how to use."

She jams it into the crack of the locked door and pulls as hard as she can. The inside lock breaks with a satisfying snap and the door pops open. Inside is dimly lit but is apparently a back enterence to a restaurant's kitchen. That works.

"Did you get it?" Cat Noir asks from his lookout position at the mouth of the alley.

"Yeah, come on!" she whispers, "before your Miraculous times out!"

Together, they slip into the dark kitchen and Ladybug quietly shuts the door, propping a wastebin in front of it to keep it closed despite its shattered lock. Turning, she finds Cat Noir leaning against the cupboards, one hand pressed against his stomach, the other rifling through the open refrigerator. Likely searching for something for his kwami to eat.

She swallows when his ring gives an angry beep. "You're about to lose your transformation," she whispers, as if he didn't already know.

"Yeah, and so are you," he reminds her as one of the spots on her earings fades away.

"I won't look if you won't."

Cat Noir smirks at her. With a tired wink, he nods his head. "Trapped in a room together without our transformations...how scandelous."

Marinette rolls her eyes and tells him to sit down before he falls down. "I'll find something for your kwami," she volunteers, steering him to a metal stool. "What does he like?"

"Cheese." The slightly irritated tone of his voice makes her giggle.

"Not a fan yourself?" she asks, finding a wheel of camembert in a lower drawer.

"I perfer sweet things."

Turning, Ladybug holds up the camambert. "Will this do?"

Cat Noir nods. "Plagg is gonna love you for this, My Lady," he tells her.

"Plagg?"

"My kwami. Camambert is his favorite."

"I see," she sets the cheese down and grins at him. "So you hate winter, you don't like cheese, and your kwami's name is Plagg. I'm learning all sorts of things about you today, Partner."

Cat Noir and Ladybug both look down at his ring as the insignia flashes in warning. "Well you're about to learn a whole lot more if you don't look away now, Bug-a-boo." So she does, whipping around to face the loosely barricaded exit as the kitchen lights up in a green blaze...and then fades back into darkness.

"Ughhh...so hungry...must eaaat...oof."

Adrien smiles apologetically at Plagg and scoops him up in one hand, handing him the camambert with other. "Sorry, buddy," he says. "Does this make it better?"

Plagg's eyes light up at the sight of his favorite, smelly cheese and he grabs it with both little paws and takes a big chunk in one bite. "I guess I can forgive you this time, Ad-MMPH!"

Adrien laughs nervously, covering his kwami's mouth with his hand. "Ah, Plagg...if you didn't notice, we have company..." The small cat cuts his grumpy eyes over to Ladybug and then shakes Adrien's hand off.

"Oh, sorry... Hiya, Ladybug! Nice to finally meet you!"

"Hi, Plagg," she says without turning around. Her earings flash as she ticks down to her last few moments of transformation. "Hey, how will I know for sure that you're not looking?" She hears Cat Noir snicker teasingly.

"I guess you're just gonna have to trust me, M'lady." Adrien turns his head and smiles at the wall, waiting for the pink flash he saw once, through the crack of a closet door.

Soothsayer stands below the light of the street lamp where he last saw his quarry. He won't have gotten far, not with his Miraculous timing out and an injury to slow him down. Even with Ladybug's help, he must still be nearby.

The akuma's sword shrieks against the inside of its sheathe as he removes it, and the pavement under his feet cracks when he firmly plants the blade down, leaning his armored hands on the hilt. He doesn't know where they're hiding...but he'll wait. They have to come out sometime.

While Marinette and Tikki chat softly on the other side of the kitchen, Plagg sits on the countertop above his friend's head and munches on his snack. Even from his vantage point, he can't see Ladybug's alter ego since she's purposefully hidden herself from prying eyes. Too bad, it would have been interesting to know the true face of the source of Adrien's affections.

Speak of which. "How're you feelin', pal?" Plagg asks, swooping down beside Adrien, who is reclining against the wall with his eyes closed and a hand over his stomach. "I've never seen you get hit by your own Cataclysm before..."

Adrien shrugs with one shoulder, but even that little motion causes him to wince. "Alright, I think the suit absorbed the worst of it..."

The kwami nods his head and pops the last bite of cheese into his mouth. "Well I'm ready to go when you are."

Adrien smiles and starts to sit up, grimacing at the throb in his muscles. "Yeah, I'm ready," he whispers. "Let's get this over with..."

Marinette startles slightly at the sudden flash of light. "Cat Noir? You're transformed already?" she calls out as loudly as she dares.

"Yup, ready and raring, My Lady!"

"Tikki?"

Marinette's kwami swallows her last bit of chocolate chip cookie and nods her head. "Okay then. Let's beat this akuma once and for all. Spots on!"

Ladybug and Cat Noir peek out the door, scanning both ends of the alleyway for any sign of Soothsayer. When they find nothing but darkness, Cat Noir steps out first, as silently as his namesake, and Ladybug sticks close behind him.

She taps his shoulder and points to the roof. Wordlessly, both heroes scale the side of the building and drop into a crouch behind the brick chimney. From here, they can see the street. Ladybug gulps at the sight of Soothsayer standing there as still as a statue, waiting for them to strike.

He doesn't seem to see them...but if he really can predict their movements, will he know they're coming? They slip back behind the chimney, out of view, and speak in voices that are not much more than breaths.

"Since he's so interested in me, why don't I act as the bait? Then you can get behind him and take his akuma," Cat says. "It's gotta be his sword."

Ladybug shakes her head. "No, that's too risky. Neither of us should try fighting him on our own, even just as bait. Besides, I get the feeling the akuma isn't in his sword...he hardly uses it and it doesn't seem to have any special powers..."

Cat Noir frowns and peeks out at their enemy again. He hasn't moved. "Then what's your plan?"

"I think we need to know his true identity, that might be enough to shed some light on how to defeat him. Have you made any enemies recently?"

Cat Noir shakes his head, "I don't think so. After all, who could get made at this face?"

Ladybug rolls her eyes. "Uh-huh... So you really don't remember making anyone angry, or giving them a reason to want to sell you out to Hawkmoth?"

"No, not really." School had gone well, he hadn't beaten anyone too badly at fencing, at the moment, Adrien seemed to be on everyone's good side. Except Soothsayer. Why?

With a tight lipped frown, Cat Noir skirts closer to the edge of the chimney. "Maybe I should ask him..." But Ladybug grabs his shoulder to stop him from rushing back into a losing battle.

"Woah, Kitty...let's not do anything rash. He doesn't know we're here yet." As Ladybug speaks, Cat Noir's eyes visibly widen...and a long, dark shadow falls over the roof.

"Uhh...you may have spoken too soon, My Lady..."

"Time out is over, Ladybug, Cat Noir. Time for the game to resume." The akuma's sword slices through the air, smashing into the roof as they jump away. Scraps of shingles shower into the air and pellet the ground below as Soothsayer jerks his weapon free and turns precisely to face Adrien.

Cat Noir flips backwards to avoid another swing of the blade. He uses his momentum to kick off the wall of the neighboring building. Flying forward, he strikes out with his staff, but the akuma grabs it and slams Cat Noir onto the roof. He rolls sideways as the sword stabs next to him and darts between Soothsayer's legs. But a swift kick to the back of his knee makes him trip and it's only thanks to Ladybug's yoyo that he doesn't get shoved off the roof.

Ladybug tugs at the string, hoping to fling Soothsayer away again, but this time he's ready for her. As the akuma sails above her head, his armored foot slams into her chest and she falls with him. They land in a tangled mess of string on the ground.

"Ladybug!" Cat Noir leaps down and helps her get untangled while their opponent tries to do the same. Marinette gets free just seconds before the akuma, however, and she manages to swipe his sword away.

For a moment, victory feels imminent. But when, Ladybug smashes the sword...nothing happens. It lays in two broken piece on the pavement and no akuma flutters away. Shoot.

She stiffens as Soothsayer rises to his feet.

"You're getting in my way, Ladybug..." he snarls, his hand clasping a spear that materializes out of thin air. "Time to capture the Queen."

Marinette tries to dodge as he strikes out against her, but he sees the meneuver coming... Ladybug cries out in pain as she's hit with the end of the pike and is thrown across the street, landing with a thud on the sidewalk. Her yoyo rolls away through the grates of the gutter...

Cat Noir grimaces and raises his fists, bracing himself for another solo fight.

"Ughh...ow..." She wakes slowly, the moon going in and out of focus a dozen times before she manages to sit up. Her ears are ringing, but she makes out the sound of fighting not too far away. Squinting through hazy vision, Marinette groans at the sight of two darkly clad figures battling halfway down the street. Each of them are holding their own, but the wilier one of the two is steadily losing...

She watches in a confused daze as the one in all black gets knocked to the ground again and for a moment, doesn't stir. His opponent stalks over and towers above him, and yet the one on the ground still doesn't get up. His head lulls to the side...and their eyes meet.

Marinette's heart jumps. Oh god, how could she forget?! Hands clambering for her yoyo, she freezes when she finds it missing. She whips her head up and sighs in relief. Cat Noir has rolled away from the attack and has somehow gotten up and is leading Soothsayer further away. Buying her time to find her yoyo.

She scrambles to her feet and searches the dark sidewalk, coming up empty.

"Ladybug! The storm drain!" Cat Noir shouts as he sprints across the roof above her, stopping short to try and kick the spear out of the akuma's hand. He misses and leaps backwards, still getting jabbed with the sharp weapon. Thankfully, his suit is pretty much indestructable so he recovers quickly and vaults across to another building, Soothsayer right on his tail.

Ladybug follows his advice and hurries to the storm drain, grimacing. She shakes herself and then drop to her knees and reaches in, feeling through the icy slosh of mud and leaves for her lost yoyo.

Elbow deep in muck, in takes her almost a full minute to finally grab her lucky charm. Wiping off the gunk, she jumps to her feet, ready to get back in the fight...when Cat Noir lands on his back almost at her feet.

Her partner has to struggle to sit up, but he still manages a sideways grin at her. "Finally back in, My Lady?" he asks, climbing shakily to his feet. Ladybug is about to declare an affirmative when he wavers and lands back on his knees, wincing. "That's good," he grinds out. "Cause I don't think I can stay in much longer..." He stands again and this time, he stays on his feet...but Ladybug can tell one of these times, he won't get up again. With a scowl at the akuma, who is simply watching them from the roof, Marinette steps sideways, planting herself between Soothsayer and Cat Noir, her yoyo humming as she spins it.

I've gotta end this fast, for Cat Noir's sake. "Lucky Charm!"

For the second time today, Ladybug's Lucky Charm produces a uncharacteristically obvious tool. Not that she's complaining.

Ladybug catches the polka dotted shield with a smirk and plants her feet. Soothsayer growls and lunges forward with his spear. It dings off the magical shield without a scratch and Ladybug swings her yoyo, the ball just barely missing the akuma's wrist.

The strikes keep coming, back and forth, back and forth. Soothsayer tries to attack and Ladybug blocks, Ladybug tries to tie up his wrist and he foresees it and gets out of the way. Meanwhile, Cat Noir's mind is racing for a solution. At this rate, Ladybug's Miraculous will time out before they get a chance to defeat him.

Come on, Adrien, there has to be something...Ladybug isn't the only one who can come up with a killer plan...think...! Who is this chump?!

A particularly loud clash of weaponry snaps him out of his thoughts. Ladybug is holding her own but she can no longer attack. Her focus is entirely on defending now, keeping Soothsayer away from her exhauhsted partner, and staying on her feet.

Grimacing, Cat Noir draws his staff and it extends in his hand. He's about to vault in and try to tip the battle back in their favor...when Ladybug shouts for him to stay out of it. That she can handle it.

"That's right, run away like last time, "hero"!"

...wait...

"Ladybug! His akuma is a chess piece! It's gotta be in his pocket or something!"

"What?!" she demands, gasping as Soothsayer strikes the shield again, causing her to nearly fall.

"Just trust me!" Cat Noir twirls his baton and slides it back into its holster on his back. Despite his aching body, he races toward the battle where Ladybug has planted her feet and is defiantly refusing to retreat any further. But she still can't get his akuma, not like this.

Swallowing, Cat raises a clawed hand over his head as he runs. "Cataclysm!"

Soothsayer hears the sound of the attack and whips around. A dark smile crosses his face as he rushes to meet Cat Noir halfway, one hand reaching for the hero's wrist.

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug shouts, throwing her yoyo after Soothsayer.

And for a split second, they all meet in the middle. Soothsayer's hand on Cat Noir's wrist, Ladybug's yoyo twisted around the akuma's midsection, and Cat Noir's Cataclysm hovering inches away from their opponent's body.

"Check Mate, Cat Noir," Soothsayer whispers, twisting his wrist around.

But then Marinette gives the string a tug...and the tangle of attacks is unwoven. Soothsayer stumbles and releases Cat's wrist. Cat Noir slams his palm onto the ground, which turns to rust and crumbles beneath the akuma's feet. With a shudder from the earth below, Soothsayer sinks waist-deep into the ground, yelling furiously as he struggles to get free.

Cat Noir kneels down beside him and reaches into the neck of his armor...pulling free a glass chess piece surrounded in a purple aura. With a wink, he rolls it to Ladybug, who smashes it to pieces under her foot.

She doesn't pretend to know how he figured out what the akuma was, but instead catches the moth in her yoyo and smiles as it flies away, pure and white. "Bye bye, little butterfly..."

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Soothsayer's alter ego-a boy named Thomas-is apologizing profusely for the fifteenth time while he recovers from his ordeal on a park bench not far from where he was defeated.

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault," Ladybug tells him with a smile. She looks up to her partner for backup, but Cat Noir is standing silently off to the side, arms folded, staring off into the distance thoughtlessly. She looks back at Thomas and laughs awkwardly. "Hold on a second..."

"Woah, hey!" Cat Noir cries out as she grabs his arm and drags him off to the side.

"I have to go," she tells him. Her earrings are flashing rapidly. "But you should say something to him. He obviously idolizes you."

"Say what?" he asks, frowning. "You're better at this than I am."

"I dunno," she shrugs, backing away. "You'll figure it out." With that, Ladybug winks and zips onto the roof, vanishing from sight. Cat Noir sighs and looks over his shoulder. Thomas is slouched on the bench, sulking.

Curse you, Ladybug... Forcing a smile, Cat Noir edges a little closer. "Uh, hey..."

Thomas's head jerks up. "Oh! Uh...hi...Cat Noir...hi...um...yeaah, hi."

Reminds me of someone... Cat Noir crosses his arms, trying to look natural. "So, just out of curiosity...what did I do to make you so angry?"

"Huh-what?! No, no, it's not your fault...I know you're just..." But he trails off, ducking his head.

"Just...what?"

Thomas moans quietly and shakes his head. "I was just being stupid, is all. Everyone's always saying how amazing Ladybug is and how she's such an incredible hero...it's just always bothered me that they seem to forget that you're here, too..."

Cat Noir tilts his head. He hadn't noticed that was the case, though he doesn't care much. Ladybug is amazing. She deserves all the glory and fame she can get.

"I don't know...I guess I just really look up to you is all...you're just as brave and powerful as Ladybug but you let her take all the credit. You're my hero. So...when you ran off the other day and Ladybug told me you had to go or you'd transform back to normal...it just hit me that...you're no different than I am. Or anyone else. You're just human like the rest of us."

Oh.

...oh...

Cat Noir smirks wearily and sits down on the bench beside Thomas despite his Miraculous counting down. He has time. "I think I get it now," he says. "And you're right. Despite the costume, I am still human just like you and everyone else... But that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"I-I know! I didn't mean..."

"But I know how you feel, actually. There's...someone I admire, too. She's pretty incredible. Smart, confident, strong... It's strange to think that there's someone under that costume who might not be as perfect as she seems. But..." Cat Noir looks down at his flashing Miraculous and takes out his staff, ready to go. "She's still pretty amazing to me."

"Oh, Tikki, this isn't good! This is sooo bad!" Marinette is full-on sprinting up the steps of the high school. As she runs down the hall, the clock reads after ten! She's going to get detention for sure this time!

As she reaches the doors of the gymnasium, she screeches to a halt, cracking them open as quietly as possible. However, inside the gym is almost competely quiet except for a few hushed, concerned voices.

Confused, Marinette peeks her head in. The entire class is gathered around the center of the gym, standing in a loose circle and craning their necks to see something. Marinette sneaks into the group and taps Alya's arm. Her friend tugs her aside to explain.

"Tournament's off," she says quickly, looking back over at the circle of students.

"What?!"

"Yeah, apparently Adrien was in some kind of fencing accident last night at practice, but he didn't say anything until he was already facing someone a few minutes ago. They barely touched him, I saw it, but he totally crumpled! Poor guy..."

"Oh no..." Marinette wrings her hands as Alya leads them back to the crowd. Through a space between Rose's and Juleka's heads, she can sort of make out her crush's dishevled blonde hair. The school nurse is knelt beside him, pressing gently but firmly against parts of his ribs and chest. Probably checking to see if anything is broken.

Finally, the nurse stands and motions for everyone to stand back. "He's fine but he'll need to be sent home," she decides. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, would you mind helping him to my office while I call his father?"

"Uh, no, of course not!" Despite how hard her heart is thumping in her chest, she approaches Adrien with a little grace and helps him up, even though it doesn't feel like he needs her help. She's more there just to make sure he doesn't fall again.

The nurse leads them out, but she walks briskly, much too quick for Adrien's pace. So he and Marinette lag back several feet.

"Thanks for your help, Marinette," he whispers.

"N-no problem... I'm just sorry you got hurt..."

"Eh, it's no big deal. In a way, it was kind of worth it." At the confused expression on her face, he chuckles. "It was kind of a learning experience."

"Oh," Marinette laughs too and smiles at her feet as they slip through the door to the nurse's office. "That's a good way to think about it." The nurse has Adrien lay down on a cot at the back of the office and briskly shuts the curtain seperating it from the rest of the room.

"That'll be all, Miss Dupain-Cheng," she says, walking off toward the phone.

"Hey, Marinette,"

She turns at Adrien's voice and finds him sitting up again and peeking out through the curtain. "Thanks," he winks and she feels her heart flutter in her chest.

"You're welcome..." As she walks out of the office, blushing bright red, Marinette finds herself pausing just outside the door. Adrien isn't the only blonde guy in her life with some pretty bad injuries right now... She hadn't though to ask last night how he felt, what with her Miraculous so close to timing out. She wonders if Cat Noir is laid up in bed today too.

I doubt it, she muses, continuing her walk back to class. I get the feeling he's much too stubborn to lay around all day.

As if on que, a flash of black through the window catches her peripheral vision. Marinette looks just quick enough to see the very familiar outline of her partner hopping across the roof of her school before disappearing from view. Smirking, she shakes her head.

I knew it.

Marinette enters her classroom and closes the door just in time to miss the school nurse wandering out into the hallway scratching her head and wondering where Adrien could have gotten to so quickly.